Robert Lubetsky and William Stroud published an article in the online Teachers College Record, offering advice for Mayor de Blasio. This is a shortened version of what appears on the TCR website. It was shortened by the authors.
Schooling in New York City – From Accountability to Revitalization
Robert Lubetsky
City College of New York
William Stroud
Consortium for Policy Research in Education, Teachers College
Schooling in New York City – From Accountability to Revitalization
New York City Mayor, Bill De Blasio, in his inaugural speech stated simply: “When I said we would take dead aim at the Tale of Two Cities, I meant it.” In this, he recalled the openings lines of Charles Dickens’ masterpiece, which is worth quoting in full:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only (Dickens, 1858/2012, 1).
As a nation we have created at least two worlds of widely disparate educational quality. In order to redress these conditions, De Blasio has indicated an intention to rethink fundamental policies and initiatives of the Bloomberg years. These include an emphasis on standardized assessments, use of test scores to judge teachers, co-location of charter schools in existing public schools, annual school report cards, and the closing or reconstituting of schools that are not meeting expectations. On a constructive note, he has proposed an all day early childhood program and after school programs for middle school students. (Layton & Chandler, 2013). While these are positive steps toward improving educational experiences and outcomes for New York City public school students, we believe five crucial issues have received insufficient attention and should be addressed by the new administration. Each one has a profound impact on education in New York City. If addressed in a serious manner, we believe the effects could transform our city and its schools. Sustained efforts to grapple with these issues in New York would also inform the work of urban school districts across the country and lead to a renaissance in our schools. What are these critical issues?
- 1. Desegregate the schools:
New York City’s schools are among the most segregated in the United States. Half of the more than 1600 schools in New York City are over 90 percent black and Hispanic. Schools are more segregated than the neighborhoods where they are located (Fessenden, 2012). The Civil Rights Project at UCLA has documented how decisions for more than 100 years have led to more segregated schools and what negative impact this has on schooling and society (Orfield, et al. 1996). Sixty years after Brown versus the Board of Education, this is not just an embarrassment, it is shameful…
- 2. Professionalize teaching
There is a body of high quality research literature about what works to improve teaching and learning, under what conditions, and with what supports. We need to bridge the gap between the research and academic communities, and practitioners. Educators and policy makers can make better use of resources such as the Review of Educational Research, Best Evidence Encyclopedia, Best Evidence Synthesis, and the What Works Clearinghouse…
- 3. Involve our Communities
After 12 years of paternalistic rule, much of the public either feels disregarded (as others act on their behalf) or actively disrespected. Without reviewing the reasons for this, it is essential that the new Mayor and next Chancellor create specific structures and opportunities for community involvement in schools…
- 4. Support educational innovation.
Both of the present authors were principals of schools and have seen these schools turn from effective, cutting edge innovation to the pursuit of safer, less complex outcomes based on standardized assessment and accountability systems. To encourage and protect future centers of experimentation and innovation, structures must be created to allow schools to be freed from bureaucratic requirements to design and test new approaches to teaching and learning…
- 5. Link schools to the struggle to create a more just and ethical society.
All of these efforts will require recognizing that education can’t solve all of the problems created by poverty. While we believe that education is one component in a quest for a more just society, we also believe that the sloganeering that has occurred, “education is today’s civil rights issue,” obfuscates the regressive impact current economic policies have had on housing, wages, employment, poverty, and the quality of life in our city and in our nation. In 2011, 21 percent of children nationally were in poverty; an increase from 17% in 1990 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). In New York City nearly 46% of families are poor or near poor! (NYC Center for Economic Opportunity, April, 2013)
This is a time in our city when our public institutions are tilting towards the advantaged, and the evidence is overwhelming…
These goals are not utopian. But they require a bold vision, perseverance, strategic flexibility, and input from all of our communities; including the city’s university and research communities which are currently underutilized. What Mayoral control of education has made possible is a comprehensive, coordinated multi-dimensional attack on all of the issues that demand solution. Our way out of the current predicament will require inter-agency coordination, targeted efforts, and a revitalized citizenry – all of us working together on issues of neighborhood cooperation, school desegregation, educational innovation, professionalization of practice, and ultimately, the rebirth of schools as centers of democratic engagement.
http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentId=17374
Robert Lubetsky
City College of New York
William Stroud
Consortium for Policy Research in Education, Teachers College
Diane Ravitch's blog 
As well, when evaluation assessments “gotchaare placed back into the realm of the Administrators of a school building, there must be guarantees against personal prejudices and biases. In too many school environments, there are tendencies to favor some that doesn’t have any bearing on professional competence or qualifications. There’s a “gotcha” mindset in place, and there’s no room for such in the education profession.
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Love the Dickens. We’ve heard too much from the “noisiest authorities” of our times.
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Ironic that these principals don’t criticize the long-standing NYC policy of allowing some schools to use standardized tests to determine which students can attend.
This willingness of district “defenders” is part of what has led thousands of low income NYC families to leave district public schools for charter public schools.
This “tilting toward the advantaged” has been going on for decades before the charter movement began. And there remain terrific district schools that are open to all, that do NOT screen out kids on the basis of standardized tests.
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Maybe we should get rid of standardized tests altogether . . .
What do you think?
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Careful, Robert, you’re starting to sound like me. And from your viewpoint that should be scary-ha ha!!
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We helped with a new Mn law that says there are no Mn tests students must pass in order to graduate. Now Mn students will take various tests to help them understand where they stand in terms of expectations of various institutions (such as colleges and universities or apprenticeship programs) but they are not required to earn a certain score in order to graduate.
What do you think of that law?
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I like the big thinking. I should point out that their fourth suggestion sounds precisely like what charter schools were supposed to be, before the idea became perverted and was warped into a scheme for one percenters to make cash (Eva Moskowitz makes more than the mayor of New York. Geoffrey Canada makes enough to drive in each day from a posh Long Island community).
I point this out as a word of caution: Big ideas are wonderful and inspiring. But they are also ripe to be twisted into practices that cause a great deal of pain and undermine the basic principles of a good fair public education
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Will he listen? Or has he already been wooed by the entrenched educational establishment?
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Well stated. Can the voices of reason overcome the influence of wealth, power and control by the self-serving corporate interests? Our public school children’s future will be depend on who ends up controlling our policies for moving forward in regard to public school improvement. I hope the voice of reason will prevail.
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Well said. This suburban principal could not agree more. Your ideas are relevant for the entire state.
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How coincidental this was posted the day before Ground Hog Day!
We know what works. Beliefs about all kids. Systemic organizations. Rigorous curriculum. Great Teaching. Simple iceberg.
The reformers forget what supports teachers because they can’t see it and they don’t get it. And, they can’t fix it because it ain’t broken. Instead, they see a few bad teachers and want to sell out the whole thing.
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How do you about desegregating schools? In order to do this you’d have to get rid of district zones & zoned schools or kids should be able to apply freely to any school in their borough not just in their district. Until there is truly free choice in schools desegregation will continue to exist.
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